Royal Mishaps
by ThePhizz
Summary: The sequel to Prince Charming. Phil and Naga begin their shaky relationship as the prince's family try to get used to their new 'bodyguard.'
1. Chapter 1

Royal Mishaps

Here it is, loyal readers (assuming that you haven't been cheating on me and reading other Phil centred fic. But you haven't, have you?). This is the sequel to Prince Charming, a pretty decent fic that is all about how Phil first met his wife, the hot-tempered, moody Naga.

Hopefully, this story will be updated just as quickly and will be just as easy and fun to write. I know I will enjoy writing more about Phil's family. Reading and Reviewing would be great as always.

* * *

Eldoran sat in one of the plush chairs that surrounded the large, rectangular table. His eyes kept coming back to the piece of paper that laid innocently besides his cup of tea. The aroma from the strong tea usually relaxed him, but nothing could calm him down right now. After a moment, the wizened kind stood up and made his way unsteadily to the large window. 

He looked over the city he had done his best to lead and protect. Grimly, he tried to recall when he wasn't burdened with responsibility, and failed. Ever since Eldoran had been born, everyone expected great things from him. His father, though not cruel or mean in any real way, had been too wrapped up with his duty to pay much attention to him when he was young.

The King sighed and touched his furrowed brows. He traced the wrinkles (wrinkles that had been there for so long he hardly noticed anymore), then his bushy brows that his sons had inherited along with his strong face. His eldest son, the main reason for his worry, was out somewhere. And if something happened to Phil…

Ever since his first child had been born, Eldoran had always prided himself for being a better father than his own. He did his best to listen to their problems, give them everything they wanted and needed and tried to raise them right. Especially Phil. Phil, who reminded him so much of himself, was whom he had placed his highest hopes in.

He loved his other children, but Phil was always his favourite. He was the only one who had his mothers eyes, _and _his father's tan skin and dark hair. No matter what, the first born prince was always cheerful, even after his mother had died. He was respectful and always listened to his elders, something most people his age rarely did. Phil, everyone was sure, would make an excellent king and his father couldn't be prouder.

His sons would have the best he could give them, a good father, and be able to make decisions for themselves. Right now, young Randy (who had inheritedhis mother's lovely sandy hair) was studying at the large cathedral and his older brother was probably talking either with his lady friend or one of his friends. And Phil…God knew where Phil was or whom he was with. His eldest son was strong, very strong, but naive. It would be easy for someone to trick him into doing something 'unjust.'

Despite himself, Eldoran smiled. His late wife had read her sons too many bed time stories. He suddenly felt nostalgic for an ealier time. The king could remember watching little Phillionel run around in a cape, chasing his younger brother around and playing Warriors of Justice. Randy had just been a little baby then and Phil always loved to take care of him, something Christopher despised.

He missed his wife and eldest son terribly. This whole week was turning out to be one of the worst he could remember. His dear son leaves and then this letter arrives…

Eldoran knew he could never force any of his children to do anything. Instead of ordering them, he'd either coax or bribe them to do something. Even when they were little and refused to eat their vegetables, his wife Gracia would be the one to order them to eat all of their dinner.

The old king hoped Phil was safe and having the time of his life. The reason he'd been discussing marriage with his boys was laying innocently on his expensive table. His hands clenched. No, his dear son wasn't going to marry someone he had never met.

* * *

She toyed with the garish necklace she had forced Phil to buy her yesterday in the town market. He had said it was too ugly for such a beautiful woman (Naga smirked), but the slightly shorter woman had insisted upon it. Something about the way the white skull was offset by the black and red stones had caught her eye. 

Naga rolled onto her back and looking at the ceiling, her eyes tracing the cracks. She was already getting tired of staying in cheap inns and eating in crappy restaurants. As soon as they reached Saillune, Phil was going to buy her a great, four star meal and then…

The tall woman frowned. What _would_ they do then? She didn't want to leave Phil and Phil certainly didn't want her to leave. But their relationship was too delicate to say this aloud. Maybe she could get a job as a royal bodyguard? Then they could still see each other, and she'd get a decent wage. Naga smiled. Yes, that indeed would be perfect.

Naga wondered if Phil was awake and if she could pester him into getting a late night snack or drink. A little wine would help her fall asleep. She'd even be willing to deal with his disapproving looks and loud speeches on the evils of alcohol if it meant that she could continue to live on Phil's dollar.

An evil grin spread across her face. Phil should never have shown her his family's crest on that dagger he had. A sudden thought popped into her head. Where had Phil gotten that thing? He was against all weapon on general principle, so why was he okay with the dagger? There was so little she knew about her new friend._ In the morning_, she thought drowsily. _I'll ask him a butt load of questions about all that stuff in the morning.

* * *

_

Meanwhile in the room across the seedy hall from Naga, a pacing prince was deep in his own thoughts. Those newspapers couldn't be right. Heglance at the pile of paper that was stack untidily on the desk and walked over to the stained and wobbly desk. Unable to help himself, Phil looked over them again, re-reading the articles he had already memorized.

They were all about Saillune. Every time he and hisself-appointed body guard stayed in a village, Phil would buy and read the newspapers, looking for news about his hometown. There hadn't been any at first, something that relieved and disappointed the burly man, but then news about Dils trying to make ties with Saillune began. And something about a royal wedding. That part bothered Phil as the articles were always vague and offered few names.

A royal wedding. Who could be getting married? Someone from the counsel or was his own family involved?

Christopher? But Christ said he'd never marry (his father had laughed heartily at this announcement and told his sons that he'd declared the same thing at their age). Certainly not his little brother Randy, who was barely a teenager. And his father would never remarry, not after Gracia.

And he was sure they weren't talking about him. Naga had no connection to Dils and wasn't royalty. She had even told him so after Phil had tried to pry information about her past out of her during one evening._Probably just one of the counsel members' children. Or maybe it was all a big rumour. _Phil did his best to comfort himself as he tried to drift to sleep.

As he laid there in his rented, creaky bed, the big man recalled how his father had been discussing marriage and relationships. Could that have something to do with all this?

His mind still buzzing with questions, Phil managed to fall into a light sleep.


	2. Watch out for the salad forks

Randy pushed his school books to the corner of his desk, allowing him to view his father and advisor Clawfell talking. The king kept motioning with his hand and seemed stressed out about something. _Probably about Phil. _The young blond boy scowled and picked up a book to begin his daily reading. Ever since his eldest brother (who was a goody-two shoes suck up in Randy's opinion) had left, his father had been either pissed off or closed up in his room. Talk about moody. It wasn't that he missed his dad, it was just…well, alright, he did miss his father.

Eldoran usually spent a decent amount of time with all of his sons, especially stupid _Phillionel._ Randy had gotten used to having his father help him with homework or about Saillune's history or just taking his youngest son to the gardens. If his oldest brother hadn't left, everything would have been the same.

He sincerely hoped his idiot, show-off brother was experiencing a whole lot of pain.

Naga winced as the sun hit her face head on. _Stupid Phil had forgot to close those drapes. _Sighing, she rolled over and tried to get back to sleep. It was quite hard due to the warm, large body besides her. Naga allowed herself a small smile at the memory of last night.

The prince hadn't wanted to share the bed (he had offered to sleep on the floor), but his guardian had insisted on sharing it. Royalty shouldn't sleep on the ground after all. And besides, it was hilarious to see the big, strong man go to pieces at the mere thought of sharing a bed with a woman.

She traced a circle on Phil's chest, part of her wanting him to awake and the other hoping that he'd continue to sleep. It was rather adorable to watch him cuddle with that pillow like it was a teddy bear. After a few more minutes of listening to his slow, steady breathing, Naga managed to extract herself from the tangled sheets. She cursed mentally at the creaks her motions caused and pulled herself to her feet.

The tall woman, clothed in the complementary sleep wear the inn had proved, walked over to the window. She shielded her eyes and pulled the drapes closed. The bed suddenly groan and creaked again as the person on top of it shifted. Naga cast a glare in his direction when Phil sat up and gave her a lazy grin. _Here I was, expecting him to be either asleep for another few minutes or to be a little embarrassed…_

Naga walked over to where she had thrown her clothes absently and gathered her items from a chair. It took a few minutes to separate her things from his and when she was done, she neatly piled her belongings on the other chair nearby. At the sound of his booming laughter, Naga rolled his clothes into a ball and tossed it at him.

Holding her head high, the pajama-ed woman made her way to the bathroom, hoping to avoid the morning rush.

Phil was feeling wonderful. Not even having dirty clothes throw at his still half-asleep head could ruin his glorious mood. It was going to be a beautiful day. He hummed and began to dress in his regular clothes. By tomorrow, they should be at Saillune. Finally, he would be able to see his family and friends. And as soon as he had the chance, the burly prince would tousle Randy's hair, teasing him about how much he'd grown and then go spend some time with Chris and his dad. Phil shoved those thoughts away, right now he needed to focus on getting home first.

Christopher, like his youngest brother, didn't care much for Phil. The only thing that the two youngest boys had in common besides blood was their dislike and jealousy toward their dark-haired, taller sibling. In fact, they only talked when bad-mouthing Phil or if their father forced them to at the dinner table.

Right now, dinner was going on and there was no Phil to help keep them from fighting. Chris saw Randy aim his spoonful of potatoes at him and threw his empty salad bowl at the tow-headed teenager. Their father didn't even bother to look up from the book he was reading. Something about Dils, Christopher was sure. His father was obsessed with that place late–

He narrowly avoided a baked potato thrown expertly at him. In complete disregard to the manners that had been taught to them since they were old enough to hold a spoon, the fifteen year-old tossed his butter knife at his little brother. The little snot managed to use his dinner plate to block the flying silverware and threw the entire basket of rolls at him. Christ winced as the bounced off the wall behind him and gave up. He threw his glass of watered down wine at Randy and laughed as it splattered his brothers clean clothes.

With a rustling of paper, the king looked up from his reading. He narrowed his eyes at the boys, knowing that the two would always fight, and tried to start a normal conversation.

"So, what did you two do today?"

Both boys shrugged and muttered something akin to 'nothing.'

"How are the studies going, Rand?"

"Alright, I guess,"came the answer from the sullen boy.

Chris sighed, hoping that his father wouldn't badger him about his day. He was getting pretty tired of hearing about how he should find a nice girl to settle down with. When stupid, ugly First Royal Successor to the throne was here, his father would spend most of the time talking to Phil. Asking him questions about girls and if he had met anyone who caught his eyes. Just thinking about it made the brunette chuckle. Phil having a girlfriend, there was a pretty good laugh right there.

"Say, Chris, didn't that young woman from Zefielia…"

The second born prince ignored his father, occasionally nodding yes to some question and wished achingly for his big brother.


	3. Hey, you be the romantic one!

The song:Sixpence None The Richer 'Kiss Me.'

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy. R&R is appreciated.

Naga winced and readjusted the heavy bag hanging from her shoulder. All day Phil had been going on and on about Saillune and this big wedding and she was getting tired of it. As soon as they got to the castle, she was going to ask, no, _demand_ a huge meal, spacious bed and room and maybe a few servants to feed her grapes and rub her shoulders. This was far too long a trip.

In-between all the bandits they had destroyed (dispensed justice on according to Phil) and the shopping and the ahem quiet time they'd spend together in front of a campfire...The tall sorceress was bushed. She loved to travel, but she also liked to stop and smell the roses on the way. Phil on the other hand seemed to prefer thedon't-stop-till-you-drop attitude. He was determined, no one could deny that.

Behind her, Phil was chattering and laughing that annoying booming laugh of his. Naga smiled wryly as sheremembered that day at the bar and those kids she'd been thinking about. It was probably his influence (his _taint_) that made her feel this way. When Phil was with her, Naga knew that she could take on anything. Even a few kids and some stuffy nobles. And, maybe even his crazy family. Naga might not have been paying much attention of Phil's family stories, but no normal family could produce someone like Phil.

_Maybe everyone in Saillune's __crazy..._

And so, with every step, they became closer to Saillune. Close to his family and palace and title. The mere thought was enough to make Naga's knees feel weak, and not in the good way like when Phil's eyes met hers. While she was sure Phil wasn't going to just abandon her as soon as they reached the large kingdom, the sorceress wasn't sure what everyone else would say. For the first time since she had put on this outfit at fifteen, Naga felt self-conscious. This, after all, wasn't what noble woman wore. And Phil was a prince of a kingdom that promoted white magic. She knew little of white magic besides basic healing and didn't particularly care to learn more.

_So, shrine maiden's out of the question. Plus, I'm probably too old anyway..._She glumly glanced at her outfit. Outlandish, stylish and far-too revealing, and it was part of her. It had helped define her, made her different from all those other wanna-be sorceresses. That, and a rich prince. She grinned and then aquestion popped into her head.

"Say, why do you have a dagger?"

Phil paused from telling his 'protector/guardian/girlfriend/friend/unofficially undecided' another tale of his childhood.

"Well."The big man looked at the dagger in his pouch (a pouch he shouldn't have let Naga go through)thoughtfully. "It's a family heirloom." He shrugged.

"Do you ever use it?"

Phil look surprised and uncertain."Yes, Naga, remember all the stuff we just bou-"

"Not what I meant! I meant, actually used it for something other than shopping?"

"No, of course not! I-" He look at her almost shy, embarrassed at one of his secrets.

His secrets weren't about to remain secret much longer if Naga had her say in the matter"What? You don't know how? It's not that hard..the sharp end goes into the bad guy and-"

"It's not that. I just don't like blood."

"Blood?"

"Yes, and murder and pain."

She rolled her eyes. "Baby. Just a little blood is probably enough to make you faint."

"I'm not a baby."

"Suuuure. If I pricked my finger, you'd start to weep and run away."

"No, I-"

Naga abruptly grabbed for his pouch and managed to pull the tough leather out of his grasp. Truth be told,he'd probably never be able to take anything away from her. Her violent personality aside, Phil didn't have the heart to take something from her. He'd sell part of his soul to make her happy.

"Aha."She pricked her finger, and carelessly stuffed the weapon into his bag (narrowly avoiding cutting off several fingers in to process to Phil's horror), and waved her injured hand in front of the prince's face.

"Sobbing yet?"

An almost-but-not-quite-annoyed-yet prince looked at her hand. "Are you alright."

Pouting, she nodded. "It-it kind of hurts though..."

"Oh?" He crept a little close.

"Yeah, burns."

"Really?" Close enough to stroke the hair from her forehead.

"Uh-huh. Like a paper cut, but-"

A little closer.

"-messier. My gloves are ruined..."

The large man, who looked more likely to hurt than help, gently held the sorceresses hand and pulled the damaged glove off her pale hand. Without thinking, Phil stuck her finger into his mouth and sucked the blood off. He removed the finer, inspected the wound that had already stopped bleeding and gently held her hand close to his chest. Naga's whole body felt incredibly hot except for her hand, which was oddly numb. She barely felt it when Phil let go off her hand and wrapped his large arms around her. He bent down and lightly rubbed his scratchy cheek against her smooth one and gave her a light kiss on the lips. After a second, Naga pulled away, flushed and feeling her heart pound and her legs nearly giving out.

The prince grinned at her in that disarming and charming way of his. "So, who's afraid of blood now?"

Naga saw red.

Randy looked up from his book, distracted and rather frightened. Servants and nobles alike ran around like chickens with their heads chopped off for a good few minutes. The blond prince look out onto the kingdom, straining his eyes to try and see as far as he could. From what he could tell, several houses at the outer edge had lost roofs, but that seemed to be the extent of the damage. No one except two people ever knew the cause of the explosion and the horrible screech of 'You just had to ruin a perfectly romantic moment didn't you!" that rocked Saillune that day.


	4. I don't think so

This is the longest chapter I've written so far. It's much more serious that most of my other work, especially with this story. Please excuse any errors about Saillune's architecture.

And, as always, please review.

**Ever since I was young your word is the word that always won.  
Worry and wake the ones you love.  
A phone call I'd rather not receive**

**Brand New 'Guenica'**

* * *

Saillune was lovely at night, Naga thought dazed, as they made their way through the crowded marketplace. Phil was right, it was packed full of people even during the night. She was suddenly grateful that they had left the horse at the stable near the edge of town. Trying to lead a horse through this mess would have been a pain and a half.

The smells of fried food and the clotting smell of some kind of sweetened candy had filled the air. Bright, multi-color banners hung from the buildings. She recognized some of the symbols on the banners and on the flags that hung from poles. A few of them were from Dils and others were blue with a red border at the bottom. A strange white and gold serpent was in the center. Although she couldn't be entirely sure, Naga was pretty certain it was the Saillune flag. After inspecting it for a few seconds, she decided it _was_ Saillune's. Phil had the same serpent on his dagger.

There was some sort of festival seemed to be going on. It would explain all the activity and ruckus going on.

Naga paused, hoping that she wouldn't lose sight of the prince in the crowd, and looked around at the shops lining the white paved streets.

The city was in the shape of a pentagram that much the tall sorceress knew. And it was the white magic capital, had a large population and lots of land, an unstable royal family (well, at least one of them was) and was famous for their soft served ice cream.

What she didn't know was about strange castle. It was white and capped with golden domes. She'd never seen anything like it before. The snow-white buildings, walls and roads were probably blinding in the day, but now just looked strangely peaceful and elegant.

Everyone looked happy, healthy and pleasant. Merchants yelled and beckoned to various people within the stalls lined along the road. Children ran underfoot (she'd nearly stepped on a dozen of them and had been kicked and shoved by the rest she'd passed) and a haggle of woman nearby gossiped about some famous wedding.

She continued to shove her way through, trying to catch up with the tall man.

Once Naga'd spotted him, she ran to keep up. _What's his problem?_ He was nearly frantic. He'd been like this for awhile now. It just seemed out of character to see Phil so wound up. And frankly, it was starting to piss her off. The tall woman hated to see her 'friend' like this and the fact that he didn't want to stop only made her more frustrated. There were several magic shops she wanted to look at and she needed some new gloves (thinking about what had happened to them brought warmth to her face). There was also all those food stalls to go to.

After casting a Ray Wing and flying ahead of people, the leather-clad sorceress made her way to the distracted Prince. When she landed near him, Phil barely spared a glance at her. Here was more of that determined behavior she'd noticed earlier. Soon though, she'd learn what was aggravating her prince.

_At least he's not pacing around a room. _That was something she'd new she'd learned about him. He apparently paced when he was nervous or anxious.

Set against the midnight sky, the tall towers gleamed like silver. In fact, the whole city seemed to be made out of silver. Golden domes sat atop the white marble buildings. The seemingly endless arches that marked the different streets reminded her of the bleached bones in dark caves she'd run into in her travels.

Distantly, she wondered why she'd never come here before. It was probably the most beautiful place the sorceress had ever seen. The way the moon and stars cast an eerie glow over the city...Naga smiled, very glad that she had met Phil.

* * *

They made their way to the castle's gate that led to the Palace's twin turrets. Various gardens were situated by the different buildings and she could smell honeysuckle, roses and other different flowers coming from the nearest garden.

Naga breathed in deeply, enjoying the almost musky scent of the flowers. She looked at the open gate that Phil was focusing on. He seemed to be trying to memorize the palace and the people that stood around the large plaza. As he made his way through, people glanced at him and began to murmur. Naga did her best to follow, knowing that she probably looked like an idiot the way she kept looking around at the large castle. Also, her clothes probably weren't the best thing to wear to a royal outing. From what she could tell, this seemed to be where the young nobles were hanging out. All of them were wearing expensive clothes and had that snooty look of the rich, a look Naga detested.

A small, slightly undersized blond boy ran up to Phil. He looked both agitated and excited. He said something to Phil, but the prince either didn't hear or ignored the young boy. The small boy shoved blond hair out of his eyes and looked at Phil, his face screwed up with concentration. As soon as he noticed Naga, his eyes widened and a blush spread across his face.

She smirked as she saw his downcast eyes and stooped shoulders. He was some noble who probably had overprotective parents that didn't allow him to spend much time with woman. Naga noticed that his hair was cut in a pageboy style and he looked vaguely familiar. His clothes were white and plain, a robe that was lined with a blue and gold pattern that reminded her of vines of some kind. His shirt beneath was white, collarless and lined with blue as well. They were slightly too big on him and only made him look younger.

She looked at his red face and noticed that he _did_ look a bit like Phil, only younger, smaller and blond. _Cousins? No, brothers maybe. Some kind of close relation. I wonder why Phil just ignored him like that? _

The blond boy swallowed after realizing that the tall, gorgeous woman in front of him was giving him a close inspection. He, like Phil, had never seen anyone like this before. Her clothes! His face was on fire and he suddenly wanted to run away and try to talk to Phil.

Naga mentally shrugged and continued to follow the tall, burly prince up to the front of the castle. The guards there, who were either drunk or shocked in the presence of the dark-haired man and his guard, quickly opened the doors. Several servants ushered the prince in and began to badger him with questions about his journey. Phil said little, instead asking where his father was. A young woman, one of many that were eyeing Naga uneasily, led him further into the castle and up the staircase.

Besides Phil, Naga looked avidly around the palace. The ornate staircase was made of some kind of polished stone. Marble, she assumed. And the floors were covered with thick, lush red carpeting. The walls were lined with colorful mosaics, most of which consisted of past Saillune rulers. The young servant smiled once she noticed the surprised look on the sorceress's face. Naga's reaction to the various artwork and palace's design seemed to have warmed her up a bit and decide that the barely clad woman wasn't too bad. After all, she was traveling with the prince and was smart enough to know good and classy work.

The three walked through different corridors; some empty except for a few paintings (ones that Naga bet were pretty damn good) and a sculpture here are there. Others were full of different rooms and other staircases that led further up. The woman led them through another corridor, this one full of people, and began to tell Naga a bit about the castle and the people in it.

"Oh, that's one of the rooms where so-and-so stays. He's cheating on his wife you know. Say, that's Every! He's a famous musician, one you should see some time. He places at the big musical hall. He's a drunk. And there's Smyth, watch out for him."

Naga stared at the woman, still surprised at how people in Saillune seemed to love to talk. "What's up with him?"

"He likes the woman." She cast an look at Naga, apparently disapproving of the way she was dressed.

"How do you know the First Royal Successor, Crown Prince Philionel?"

The taller woman stared at her blankly. "Whazatnow?"

"Ah, here we are." The servant opened a pair of heavy, thick wooden doors and Phil marched purposely into the room. His father, a man who looked much older than what the sorceress had expected, stood up abruptly. The papers he'd been holding felt to the rectangular table in front of him and the young man who was sitting nearby dropped his tea cup. The royal family that was seated ignored the tea soaking the papers (ones that were important and still needed to be signed), and looked at Phil.

Phil cleared his throat, remembering something that his favorite adviser had taught him when he was young. Always be the first one to speak, even if it's over something silly. The prince glanced at his father, then at Christopher. Eventually, he spoke.

"So…This wedding…"

Eldoran then cleared his throat. "Son, while you were gone, the kingdom of Dils…Well, they want to make the bond between the kingdoms stronger."

"And the marriage…"

"A princess, just a few years younger than you, is a trained priestess. She is strong and noble and-"

"And I'm not going to-"

"Phil! Dils is a strong ally. We-"

"NO!"

The older man sighed, shoulders bent. "I know you're not cattle that is to be auctioned off, but…"

"I'm not going through with this."

Eldoran looked at his eldest son, suddenly angry. He tried to keep his voice calm. "It's not your place to question."

"What the hell are you two talking about!"

Both men jumped and glanced at Naga, whom they'd ignored this entire time. Phil colored slightly while Eldoran looked at her, taking in her outfit and attitude.

"Who is this?"

"This is my, um-"

"I'm his guardian, the Great Naga."

Phil smiled at her, all tension between the two forgotten. "Great, huh?"

Naga scowled in a way the prince found absolutely adorable. She flipped her hair away from her face. "_Any_way, what are you guys talking about?"

Eldoran eyed her suspiciously. "I'm talking about the union between Saillune and Dils. "

Naga narrowed her eyes, making her look rather predatorily. She had a sinking feeling about this. "Union? What kind of union are we talking about."

The king snorted. "'_We'_?"

"Anything that has to do with Phil is my business."

The prince grinned and blushed, pleased greatly at her words. There was certainly to way he was going to marry a stranger when he had his dear Naga here.

"You're his guardian, I understand that. And you obviously care for my son (his son and his guardian looked slightly embarrassed) but this is between Phil and me."

The large man standing in front of Naga nodded and looked disappointed.

"Now then, the princess is staying in one of the dormitories. Hopefully, she will be here soon."

The dark-haired woman's mouth narrowed. She clearly didn't like the sound of 'she' and soon this old guy was going to pay.

A gentle tapping was suddenly heard and everyone's eyes became focused on the heavy door. After a second, a young woman glanced inside the chamber.

The princess received different looks from the two people standing nearest to the door. From Phil she received wariness, and from Naga…well, the look on the taller woman's face made the shy girl duck back into the hall.

Eldoran looked at them, his expression angry and disappointed.(he'd expected more from his son)"That was Princess Amelia, from Dils."

He cast a sharp look at Phil, who was growing steadily paler and unhappy.

"Your future wife, Philionel."


	5. No One's Getting Married Yet

**She doesn't know wrong from right  
She doesn't know when to fight  
She only knows that tonight there's always someone out there  
She'll never be alone**

**Abandon Pools 'Mercy Kiss.'**

* * *

Phil paced around the large room, doing her best to ignore his father's look of disapproval and Naga's pale face. Right now he probably couldn't comfort either of them. Maybe Go to Naga and tell her that he would never marry this Amelia, or go to his father and try to convince him to…To what, he wasn't sure. While he loved Naga, Phil wasn't sure if she loved him back. And since he wasn't sure, the prince couldn't exactly propose to her just yet.

And arguing with his father had never been easy. Eldoran always tried to let Phil do his own thing, always gave Phil space and kindness and taught the young man a lot of being a ruler. It would be hard to disobey the man who had given him so much, but Phil knew that if he didn't want to marry the princess, he would have to summon the strength.

Naga watched the two men closely, disregarding the brown-haired man who remained seated and ignored throughout the little scene. She was nearly about to start chanting a few spells if someone didn't fill her in on what this whole thing was about. No way was Phil going to marry this little Amelia tramp. After having traveled with the prince for so long, listening to so many of his speeches and blowing up people to protect him, Naga wasn't just going to abandon Phil. She had, well, _invested_ too much in him.

After a few more minutes of watching the prince walk around the room in a nervous flurry, the king looked at the tall woman seated nearby. The expression on her face was one to be expected, anger and confusion. He couldn't help but feel some pity towards her. It seemed obvious to him that his son's bodyguard was attached to Phil and that the burly man felt the same. An arranged marriage wasn't right, wasn't just, but the ceremony would take place soon.

All he needed was to convince his eldest son that this was what he had to do. Eldoran had taught Phil that sacrifices for the throne had to be made, but it was different in practice.

"I can't marry the princess."

"Her name is Amelia, and you must."

"Father, I'm not ready to be married."

"Many have been married much younger. In fact, an Elmekia princess wanted to arrange a marriage-"

"They did?" Phil stared at his father, shock written across his face.

"Yes, and I turned them down. You were only fifteen and I thought that was far too young."

"And it was. I'm still too young to be married. Especially to someone I've never met."

"Yes," Eldoran sighed. "But, sacrifices must be made sometimes. You should know this by now, son."

"If mother was here-"The king winced, and nodded slowly.

"She would stop it. I know, but there is nothing to be done. You will be wed in a month."

"Not to her!"

"Then to whom?"

The prince blushed and looked flustered. He did his best to avoid Naga's heated glare, unsure of what it meant. "Well, um, just not to her."

"Do you have another princess in mind?"

Phil laughed and lowered his head. No, definitely no princess in mind_. Maybe if we got married… _After a second, he raised his head and met his father's gaze. The image of Naga dressed up in a frilly pink dress had popped into his mind and helped clear his head. He suddenly felt more sure of himself and knew he wouldn't marry Amelia.

"Father, I'm not interested in Amelia. Nothing will change that and I will not marry her." He straightened his back and looked purposely about the room. "Perhaps Chris…"

"Sorry, big bro." The brunette grinned deviously at the taller man. "Dils is only interested in the Crown Prince." (Nearby, the only woman in the room jumped, as if goosed.)

Phil rubbed his chin, barely noticing the scratchy feel of his whiskers. "I see. Is there _anyone_ else?" A hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

Eldoran grimaced, the wrinkles in his face deepening for a second. He looked unbearable old to his sons, an old man who barely resembled their father.

"I'm sorry Philionel, but there's nothing-"

"That's not good enough!" Naga pounded on the table with a slightly shaking hand. The ache that resulted from whacking her hand against the table helped her feel a little more in control. It had the same effect as the image of her in a girly dress had helped Phil, though she didn't know that. They would figure this whole mess out, then maybe her and Phil could leave and go adventuring again. Without this whole wedding trouble, Phil would be much more fun and easier to travel with. They could go shopping and blow up some bandits…

Yes, the two would _have_ to leave soon. The roads were calling, and if this old geezer didn't understand, well, screw him. They needed to leave this stuffy palace and go seek their fortunes (hers anyway). If Naga didn't get some air, Saillune was in trouble.

"You can't just order him to do whatever you want and expect him to obey. He's not a dog!"

Eldoran looked at her, shocked, but did quietly agreeing with her. He bowed his head, shame assaulting his senses. Despite the outfit, this woman seemed to be a decent person.

"If you don't, then I'll-I'll." She was at a loss. Blowing up the palace had seemed like a good idea to get his attention, but the old guy seemed to be okay. He was listening anyway.

"_We'll_…run away!"

Naga, Eldoran and Christopher stared at Phil.

"Run away?" Chris snorted. "Phil, you won't run away."

"What makes you say that?" He glared at his younger brother, hands on his waist.

"You're not going to run away. I know you. You could barely stay away from the palace for-"

"You don't know me! I-I could go to the Coastal States and…"

"And?"

"Naga and I could follow the warrior's path and defeat evil!"

Chris stared at Phil while Naga slumped in her seat and Eldoran re-read the letter from Dils. After a few seconds, the king stood up and left the room. Chris and Phil watched their father leave, both disappointed and nervous.

"Defeat evil? How much do warriors of justice make a month?"

"Naga and I show bandits the ways on the good and just. Then, we, um, take their treasure and after we return it to the proper owners, we get a reward."

The slim man laughed and resisted rolling his eyes. "You actually return the things you get from thieves?"

"Yes, but, Naga actually returned the items."

Christ turned his skeptic look on the tall woman who was carefully looking at the window.

"You turned those treasures in?"

"…" She continued to look at the window.

"Naga?" Phil stared at her, eyes wide.

"….Huh, isn't that a weird bird…?"

"Naga! You didn't return those poor people's items back?"

"Hey, that's not my job! There _is_ a finders keepers rule."

"That's not right Naga."

She stuck her tongue out at Phil. "After everything I go through to get that crap, I'm not returning it."

"But-"

"Not returning!"

The second prince watched the two argue, twitching every time he glanced at Naga. How had his brother met a woman like this? Chris's eyes traced Naga's form and his face went red. Definitely a woman. And definitely more woman than Phil deserved or could handle.

He discreetly wiped drool from his lower lip.

* * *

"You can't do that anymore, Naga."

"Why not?"

"It's just not right. We're-"

"I'm not a justice-person-thing. I destroy bandits, then I take their money."She shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Naga..." Phil's tone deepened and the sorceress sensed a speech coming on.

She lightly hit Phil on the chest with her knuckles and smiled at him, hoping to change the subject. The prince sighed and smiled back at here, animosity forgotten.

"Say, what's with the whole Philionel thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's my full name."

Playfully, she poked him in the stomach and tried to act angry at him. "Oh, so you didn't even tell me your real name?"

He looked uncomfortable. "I prefer Phil…" he mumbled.

Naga smiled and patted his shoulder. "Alright, then just plain Phil it is."

The large, unorthodox prince beamed at her, and bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Blushing, Naga shoved him aside gently and made her way for the exit.

She paused at the doorway and looked at Phil pointedly.

"Aren't you going to show me around?"

The prince jumped and made his way towards the sorceress. Together, they walked down the hallway.

Christ slumped in his seat. His brother Phil now had the throne, their father's attention and a completely beautiful woman. He closed his eyes, hearing Phil's voice echoing from the hall and then Naga's horrible laughter. Hopefully, Phil would go deaf because of that awful laugh.

Warriors of justice? They were more like weirdoes with bad laughs and freakishly tall forms. The brunette sighed and gathered up the remaining papers that needed to be signed. Hopefully his father would be near and they could finish all this paperwork. Who knew being in charge of a kingdom meant signing papers all day?

Maybe after all this was through, he could ask Phil more about Naga. How the hell did a guy like Phil get Naga's attention?


	6. A Humor Chapter Chapter

**'It's getting late.'  
She said.  
She touched my face,  
'Let's stay out late as we can.'**

**Drive around the lake  
just a little too fast,  
my eyes on the lights, her hand on my shoulder  
Yeah, windows down  
wine in our heads  
the city lights just a blur **

'Let's go out  
on a dock  
we'll bring a bottle and a blanket.  
And everything.  
Yeah, everything is going our way.'

**Lean into me.**

MINUS THE BEAR LYRICS **"Monkey! Knife! Fight!"**

* * *

The view from the balcony was gorgeous, but Naga hardly looked up from her plate. The food was also great, twelve-star, and there was lots of it, but she hardly noticed the quality of it. All she wanted was a soft, pleasant bed. Hell, even a little cot or pile of straw would be alright.

Also, all the alcohol she'd drunk before the meal was taking its toll. Why hadn't she listened to that stupid prince before drinking all that wine?

After pushing the mushroom surrounding her steak around for a few minutes, the sorceress looked up at her companion. He looked just as tired as she felt, dark circles underneath his eyes. And like her, he was just picking at the food. She inspected the prince, noticing the rumbled clothing and how pale he seemed despite the hours he'd spend in the sun.

Phil glanced at the tall woman sitting opposite of the little table and their eyes met. They both looked away blushing. The large man poked at his steak, well-done and usually his favorite, before giving up and motioning toward one of the servants.

Naga scrubbed her face with her hands, one still aching, and then ran her fingers through her hair. It helped calm her down slightly and allowed Naga finally noticed how many people were on the large balcony. At least twenty or so were sitting around the scattered table and talking. A few were whispering behind their hands and watching her and Phil.

If she'd had the energy, Naga would have jumped on the table and yelled at them. Right now, all she could do was wave weakly at them and try to gather the energy to stand up. Phil followed her example and stood up as well, managing to do it with more grace than his companion. He helped the servant girl pick up the few dishes, ignoring her protests, and then grabbed Naga to keep her from falling.

She'd never been so grateful for Phil's bulk. The tall woman leaned against the prince, gritting her teeth from the voices from the tables and Phil's booming laughter. She straightened her back and tried desperately to scrape up a little dignity. Naga held her head high, nose in the air and consequently whacked her knees on the corner of a handy table nearby.

"Damn it, damn it." She mumbled quietly, just wanting to leave without a scene. For perhaps the first time, all Naga wanted was to escape quietly and inconspicuously

The prince led her into the castle and put one arm around her back. As soon as she was steady enough, he let go of her with some regret. In the dim light, she looked exhausted and older than Phil had ever seen her before. She was unbelievably beautiful.

The large man grinned at her, hoping to get some reaction. She looked at him wearily, before glancing at the picture hanging on the walls.

"You grew up here?"

Phil nodded and led her up one of the staircases, wincing at how cold her skin felt. She tiredly trudged up further up the castle, hardly paying attention to all the people in the castle. As soon as they made it to the top of the stairs, Naga rubbed her neck, feet and legs sore. What she needed was a bed, and then she could think clearly in the morning.

She looked at some of the people and statues with the same abstract attention, then realized that this area seemed familiar. Where…? Phil scooped her up, wincing again when she began to fight against him weakly.

"What the hell, Phil?"

"You're tired." He shifted her weight slightly and continued through the hallways.

Naga's eyed widened with alarm. "Where are you taking me? Some kind of freaky torture chamber?" She struggled and hit Phil lightly in the head.

"Nope, just one of the guest rooms."

"Really?" The pale woman eyed him suspiciously.

"Yes," He smiled "No torture chamber."

"Uh-huh. You're probably taking me to some sick room where you can have your way with me before decapitating me and doing horrible things with my headless body." She poked him in the chest. "I know your type." Settling down, Naga closed her eyes.

Phil stared at her. "Um, what? Why…? Headless…?"

"My last partner was just like you. Always trying to do sick things to my wonderful body…"Naga stirred in his arms before passing out.

The prince nearly dropped her. Partners? When did Naga have other partners than him? And ones that wanted to do sick things to her wonderful body? Phil made a low grumbling noise and shook Naga slightly. He didn't want to wake her up, but...partners?

"What do you mean sick things?" He paused "And other partners?"

"Mmm, hhhhii, ssssstop." Naga tried to drunkenly roll over and nearly fell out of Phil's arms. The burly man was unable to resist rolling his eyes and pushed the door to the nearby room over.

The room was dark, very dark and he could just barely make out the furniture. Eventually, his eyes adjusted and Phil could see relatively well. Empty, smaller than average, and devoid of strange belongings (Phil was well aware of the things that the average room in Saillune's castle held.), it was perfect. His room was close so he could badger her apart previous 'partners' in the morning. Awkwardly, the prince closed the door and did his best to hold his cargo close.

Phil made his way to the bed, narrowly avoiding a well placed table and kicked aside some chairs. Soon, he'd put Naga to bed and then get some sleep himself. Everything would be great and just…in the morning. Today had been miserable. From the moment he'd woken up, (without Naga, something which was a lot more difficult than he'd imagined) the day had been bad. The crappiest, as Naga would have said. Phil smiled and looked at the woman in his arms. Yes, she cursed and drank and had that _laugh_, but Naga was also kind, beautiful and interesting, a constant surprise, unpredictable and moody.

Yes, if Naga was ready Phil wouldn't mind marrying her. But she wasn't, he was sure. Naga wouldn't be the type to easily settle down and he couldn't just walk away from Saillune and the crown. Everything was here. No, it would be wrong to leave and Phil knew he never could even if he was with Naga, he would be unhappy. Chris was right; he would not just run away.

But, he wasn't going to give up his new friend easily. The black sorceress was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. Phil had learned a lot from her and there was no one like her. She was the only woman for him and he was going to do everything in his power to make her happy.

But, his father…No, forget his father. Naga was priority. No, that wasn't right. Saillune was…But, Naga…

Phil shook his shaggy head. There would be an answer to this whole mess. They'd all live happily ever after, and Naga and he would be able to do whatever they wanted. In time, the sorceress might want to get married. All they needed was some time.

Naga, as though reading his mind and wanting to have her own say about marriage, began flailing in his arms. She punched him twice in the face, once in the stomach and then tried to awkwardly kick him. The large man dropped her, understandably shocked and in pain.

The leather-garbed woman landed hard on the bed, nearly bashing her head on the headboard, and immediately stopped moving. Phil, whose heart had stopped, forgot how to breathe. He grabbed her hand and tried to check for a pulse using her palm. He listened to her steady breathing and looked at Naga. Yes, she was alive and well. Phil took a deep shaky breath and laughed weakly. _What was **that**_? _Some kind of nightmare?_

For her sake, he hoped it wasn't too frightening. Now that Phil thought about it, Naga wasn't frightened by much_. The bravest woman I kn-_ A boot connected solidly with his head and he saw stars.

When he managed to pull himself off of the ground, a heavy weight fell on his back. Phil lay there, astounded, confused and in pain. The painfully heavy sorceress (why hadn't he noticed how much she weighted before?) snuggled into his back and kicked one of his shins. Phil sighed and tried to make himself comfortable.

_Once she's asleep, I can sneak-_Wham; Naga punched him in the back and rolled over. As the crown prince of Saillune lay there, wondering just how he could escape, the woman on top of him rolled over and knocked down a chair. She kicked out a foot weakly, then ceased to move. Phil picked himself off the ground and stood up slowly.

Naga made a wide sweeping gesture with one of her long arms and Phil flinched. She stopped, and Phil stepped over her gingerly. With inhuman speed, the still-asleep woman grabbed his ankles. The dark-haired man whimpered and looked down. Although he knew what was probably going to happen, Phil tired to pull his leg away. She yanked and the man in her steel grip went down. He closed his eyes and braced himself.

* * *

Twenty assorted servants, sorceresses, guards, artists and nobility raced into the room. The large crash and cry of pain had gotten the attention of everyone in the vicinity. What they saw when they tore open the doors (the guards expecting to see blood everywhere), was one of the weirdest things they'd ever seen:

Two broken chairs, smashed to bits.

One broken table also smashed to bits.

One prince, lying on the ground and trying to drag himself out of the room and away from the abnormally strong sorceress.

One sorceress, asleep and holding the aforementioned prince's foot in one hand.

Phil, eventually realizing he wasn't the only conscious person in the room, looked up at all the people in the doorway.

He stared at the before managing out, "Can someone help me out here?"

* * *

It took several hours before Phil managed to convince the guards not to throw Naga into the dungeons and not to even wake her up. 


	7. Chapter 7

Short chapter today, folks.

As always, R&R is appreciated.

* * *

First, she'd been dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn. The air had been so very cold and being dragged out of such a nice bed, oh god, the warm comfy bed with its nice silk sheets, fluffy pillows and a nice, wonderful mattress hadn't put the leather-clad woman in a good mood.

Then she'd been harassed by the maids and others ladies that Naga didn't know. None had been very nice to her and all seemed slightly frightened. More than they had before just because she'd threatened to toss around some fireballs if they tried to get her into that stupid frilly dress. How she hated pink!

After escaping the clutches of those uptight-woman-who-were-just-jealous-of-her,(something her mother always said anyway) the still half-asleep Naga had been dragged to a private room by Phil. As most of the rooms in Saillune's castle were, this one was just as large and plush as the others. A warm, cheery fire had been set up in the grate and the prickly, comfortable smell of wood smoke filled the air. The breakfast was good too, even better than the dinner if she remembered correctly.

As they ate together, (Naga drinking gallons of black tea to help with her aching head) he'd begun badgering her about some stupid stuff she'd said last night (didn't Phil know that she never meant anything she said when she was drunk?). Both had decided not to discuss the wedding problem as an unspoken agreement.

Everything from last night was a blur. She'd known it wasn't the best idea to drink all that alcohol, but this whole mess involving Dils and Saillune called for a few drinks. The sorceress could just barely remember dinner, let alone some weird conversation involving her past acquaintances. And she hadn't hurt Phil on purpose! It was just that sometimes she got violent in her sleep. Other people probably went through it all the time. And besides, she grumbled, Phil was alive and well. Naga inspected the nobleman and decided that yes, he was indeed alive and well. _Those healers did a good job. _

The newly healed prince was looking into his lumpy oatmeal and poking it with a spoon. His face was one of slight dismay and aggravation. Naga tossed in another lump of sugar into her teacup before slurping the aromatic tea. Phil barely noticed her less than perfect table manners.

"Calm down, Phil." She waved a bone at him vaguely. "We weren't exactly a couple. Just," She shrugged," partners."

"Just partners?"

Naga rolled her eyes and dropped the bone onto a gravy splattered plate. "Believe me, he wasn't my type."

He continued to look skeptic. "But what was that whole thing with the 'sick things to my beautiful body'?"

"Aww, you're jealous." She grinned and kicked him lightly under the table causing Phil to flinched and recalled the memories of last night. Naga frowned and wondered if he was upset over being called jealous. If she played her cards right and keep the topic on jealousy, she could avoid discussing this whole topic. "Didn't know you were the jealous type."

"I'm not." He waved his arms wildly. "I trust you. I know you're a true defender of wrong and right and the ju-"

"Alright, I get it." The tall woman flailing her arms about in an imitation of the prince. Was there no topic she could discuss without pain? Bringing everything out in the open might be a good thing. It would mean a fresh start. "Look, he wasn't a boyfriend or anything. We just traveled together for a while."

His tone was innocent and light as he played with the spoon in the oatmeal. "How long?"

"Oh, a little while…" Naga carefully avoided his eyes.

His eyes narrowed. "How long is a little while?"

The black sorceress sighed. "Don't freak out now, but we traveled together for..."

Eyes huge, the big man leaned forward. He sat on the edge of his seat, focused intently on the woman seated before him.

"It was about a year or so." It had actually been about two years. Two difficult, long years full of fighting, bad outfits, dumb ideas and annoying accents.

"A whole year?" He looked stunned and Naga felt the first stirrings of anger. _What, I can't know someone for a year? Jackass. _

She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, slightly angry and uncomfortable. Talking about her past was hard enough, and when it came to past friends and acquaintances it was painful.

Phil continued to gaze at her, noticing how vulnerable she looked. _Like a little girl. _Naga rubbed one of her arms and looked out towards the window. Idly, she realized that it was raining harder than it had been this morning. It was warmer in here than other parts of the castle, but still chilly. _The weather in Saillune_, she decided, _was as weird as the people living here. _The entire city probably looked gray. The dark-haired sorceress continued to rub her arm before beginning her story.

"Alright, let's see…"She cracked her knuckles loudly. "Where to begin? My childhood? The first time I used magic? Running away from home? "

"So you did run away?" Phil looked vaguely satisfied, a question he'd been contemplating answered.

Naga looked at him sharply. After a second, the prince looked away and shrugged. "I always wondered if you ran away."

She rubbed one of her temples. Although she should have been expecting it, headaches around Phil were-She smiled wryly. This was just like when she'd met her royal friend and wanting to strangle him, praying and hoping that he'd be quiet for a few minutes. Only this time she just wanted him to be quiet. Thinking about how she'd met Phil wasn't painful at all. _Not too painful anyway,_ she amended.

Perhaps not everything that happened in her past was bad, and not all memories should be tossed and forgotten.

Naga cleared her throat noisily. _Here goes._

"_It all started…"_


	8. Naga's Past

"It all started when I was out looking for this orihalcon that was supposedly hidden in this cave."

_Naga run through a sparsely lit cave at high speed. Behind her, rock fell at an alarming speed and a giant boulder began to slide from a hidden crevice above the path She tripped, slid on her stomach all the way to the entrance of the cave and scrambled to stand. She suddenly heard a deep voice from above her laugh. _

"So, this 'partner' of your is the reason you developed that laugh thing?"

"What laugh thing?"

_Above her stood a man clothed in heavy robes, his brown hair was long and straight and his bangs were combed from his face. He grinned, flashing white teeth and then proceeded to climb down the boulder he stood atop. _

"_Hello." He murmured, except it came out more like 'hewo.' The man's accent was thick and distinct. Naga eyed him and decided that backing away slowly but quickly was the safest option. Once he safely reached the ground, he planted his hands on his hips and smiled at her. Hesitantly, she smiled back and began to back away. _

_His smile widened and he began to speak much to Naga's chagrin. The accent made it rather had to understand and it she'd never heard anything quite like it before. When they'd gotten to know each other better, Naga had learned that he'd come from the north._

_The man carefully straightened his robes and told her his name._

"What was his name?"

"Shh, I was just about to get to it, Phil."

"_My name is Galef Kinezard." It came out, to Naga's ears anyway 'My nam es Gaalef Kinzaad'._

_She began to sweat and try to figure out where he had come from, and if he'd been the one to trip those booby switches from the cave. It sure hadn't been her, after all. She was far too graceful to have-_

"_So, where you going after that orihalcon as well?" 'Zo, whe you goin' afta that orihacon az vell?' Naga translated in her mind. She straightened her own clothes just as he had done not long ago and offered her own name. _

Phil leaned forward, a curious expression on his face.

Naga, unnerved, stared at him. "What?"

The prince shrugged "I don't believe you've ever told me your last name Miss Naga." He gave her a look that reminded her of her mother and Naga frowned. "It's none of your business."

Phil gave her a hurt look and leaned back.

She smirked. "Consider it payback for not telling me your true identity when we first met. "

"that was because-"

"Fine, " Naga interrupted "Can I get back to my story now?"

Phil nodded.

'_Naga.'_

"Naga what?"

"Quiet Phil!"

_The man nodded, as though expecting nothing more nor anything less. He said something abut orihalcon, then she responded with one of her usual witty remarks. _

"Miss Naga, what else-?"

"I don't remember every damn thing, now, if you would please just be quiet!"

_Eventually, the two headed back to town. Or rather, Naga headed back to town and he followed. (_Naga: For some reason, weirdoes seem to follow me around. gives the prnce a pointed look Phil:confused what?) _Neither of them said much, except to talk a bit about orihalcon. _

_Once they'd finally arrived, Galef had mentioned something about treasure and Naga had ended up following him around and demanding to know more. He'd told her, and then she'd decided to form a partnership with him. The next day, they went back to the cave. Naga blew the rocks blocking the entrance away and then they'd both blown cleared the place in order to research more. _

_After finding a carefully hidden map, the had gone up to near Atlas to search for the orihalcon. _

"Did you find any?"

"Nope, nothing." Glumly she shook her head and took a sip of quickly cooling tea..

_The new partners searched all over Atlas, every little bit. They found a few leads here and there, but everything turned to be a dead end. Naga decided to stay in Atlas for a while and Galef found himself becoming interested in the Sorcerer Guild politics. She found a strange rumor about an elf villiage possessing orihalcon, and Galef tried to join the Guild. _

_In order to do so however, the sorcerer decided to go on a mission and discover some orihalcon. He found out that Naga had some leads….They were gone within the day. _

"That quickly huh?" He played with his outmeal.

"Phil, please!" She tossed her empty tea cup at him.

_So, the two had gone out and quickly discovered that they hated each other. They fought every day, and very nearly killed each other on a daily basis. (_Phil: Every day! Naga: Yep)

_Never before had either of them been filled with such loathing. Galef insulted her outfit and intelligence and she insulted his fashion sense and accent. He said that she was and would never be more than a drunk bounty hunter, and Naga responded by informing him that no Guild on the face of the planet would take him in and it would be easier to create his own Guild. _

_The only thing they had in common was the loathing for other people's fashion sense and the fact they both wanted to be rich. _

_So, the two had gone out and discovered no money, no riches, only how much a person could possibly hate another person._

"This went on for a _whole year_?" The burly man was flabbergasted.

"Yes."

"Oh, sorry for interrupting."

"No problem." Naga filled another cup with still warm tea. "I'm done anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"That's it."

"That's it?"

"Alright," She sipped at her tea.

_Galef and Naga could take no more. One day, while walking through a small clearing, they'd run across an adventurer and his wife. Galef helped them out, they invited him and his companion to dinner, and Naga had run away._

"There." The sorceress sipped at the remainder of her tea.

"That's the end?"

"Ayuh. The end."

"But, what happened after you ran away?"

"Not much. I never found the orihalcon after all that. Oh, but I found out later Galef moved to Atlas and joined some Guild not far from where I left him."

"Do you miss him?" He cocked him head in a way Naga found peculiar and endearing. She nearly gave him a hug.

"Oh God no. We both hated each other. Honestly, I have never felt so much hate for a human before in my life. He felt the same way."

"Now, you don't know that." Phil scooted closer. "I find it hard to believe that someone could hate you Miss Naga."

The sorceress smiled and was suddenly very grateful she had met the strange man. Life without him would be quite boring and a little dimmer. She would have to do something about postponing that damn wedding.


	9. Before The Meeting

Amelia ran her comb through her short hair and looked into the mirror. She watched with abstract interest as her light grey eyes abruptly filled with tears and she heard something drop onto the vanity with a clatter. The sound seemed to come from a distance and it took a moment to register that she'd dropped her comb.

Right. She'd been combing her hair. And now she was crying. And soon she would be married. And then she would just sail right off the world. Right.

She knew being a princess was difficult; there was no mistake about that. It had been drilled into her from birth. Her entire life, everything she'd know, would be a mix of compromising, decision making and sacrifices. From the time she was old enough to understand, she learned that she had responsibilities that set her apart from everyone else. That she was different and special and that so much rested on her shoulder. If she was ever mentioned in history books, right after her name it would say 'A responsible princess who was very aware of her role in society.'

Up till now, Amelia _had_ thought that she understood her place and responsibilities.

Knowing she would deal with sacrifices was one thing, but actually being prepared for something of this magnitude...

For as long as she could remember, her life had been relatively easy, everything black and white. You followed orders, listened to advice and made decisions that didn't really affect you much. Sure, once in a while there would be complaints and you always spent just _hours_ on studying different papers concerning laws and customs that you always had a sinking doubt that you would never, ever use what you were learning and you were really just wasting your time…

So, sure there were problems and plenty of boredom, but overall she'd been happy and relatively worry-free. Until the problems concerning Dils and Ralteague and their states along the coast.

Now everything was blurred and foreign. One little mistake that she made here, a wrong choice and her kingdom could suffer. Just the thought of Dils problems was enough to nearly make her throat close up with worry. As much as the princess tried, she couldn't help but go over the reason why she was here over and over again in her head.

Their trade routes would shrink, and then disappear; their land would slowly be chipped away, and eventually Ralteague would invade or acquire the kingdom through different means. They might even want a royal marriage to combine the two lands. Or a war might even break out between the two northern kingdoms and, though it shamed her to admit it, it wasn't one Amelia was sure Dils could handle.

Saillune was a safe kingdom. It's magical temples, numerous libraries and schools, and bustling trade was the envy of many countries. They always stopped wars from occuring for several centuries and though it had its dark times, the kingdom was known as the safest throughout its history. More liberal and peaceful than the other places surrounding it, it held a certain status. You could, for instance, proudly tell people that your child had left for Saillune, regardless of any circumstances with that child. Even if that child had run away, you could still hold your head up.

Every kingdom in the land hoped to make strong ties with the seemingly invincible and very influential land. Dils had been extremely lucky to have the chance to marry its princess to one of Saillune's princes. A safe future was just about guaranteed for her kingdom and she should feel honoured…

Amelia had heard it all before. It didn't really help matters.

She certainly didn't want to marry a stranger, that was awful enough, but from the rumors the maids had been spreading, 'her prince' already was involved with someone. How could she marry someone who already had a…betrothed? It was unthinkable. Of course, in some other kingdoms such things were acceptable, but as far as Amelia knew, Saillune was not one of them. And Dils would never allow such a thing to happen to their princess.

Not to mention, the woman he had brought to the palace was also rather frightening.

While everyone else went out of their way to way the latest fashions, to try to pick up the Saillune accent and always, above all else, act politely and to know their place, this woman did none of that.

Her outfit was something Amelia hadn't seen outside very old books she had half heartedly glanced through when she'd been younger. She could still remember seeing that very similar looking bikini before hastily turning to another page of the dusty book.

The woman's hair, though dark, was too light to pass as what was common in Saillune. And it was too long. In the rather temperate kingdom, most people tended to wear their hair short. And most people here had well tanned skin; the tall woman's pale flesh made her stand out like a sore thumb.

And before Amelia had briefly entered the meeting room, she had heard the taller woman yelling and demanding information. One that was normal certainly did not yell at royalty nor demand things.

She remembered meeting her 'fiancé' and the sorceress. From the brief glimpse Amelia had gotten, the 'other' woman had been just plain scary.

She had been wearing a completely inappropriate outfit, looked almost _feral_ with her narrow, bright eyes, and acted without care or consideration for anyone else. It was both amazing and frightening. She just barged in and demanded what she wanted. The very odd woman was just so different from everyone else and either didn't notice or didn't care.

The maids seemed to think the woman was an evil witch who had placed the always trustworthy if not predictable Phil under a spell. Amelia was sure the odd woman was a sorceress, but as for the evil part and the spell, she had no idea. Although occasionally members of her family learned magic, none had studied it intently. Most considered magic a hobby, herself included.

The brief mention of her family brought the panic back, like a gnawing rat that had begun to burrow into her very skin. She could feel her stomach growing nauseous and churning. Amelia had mental image of a boat being tossed to and fro by a rampant storm, waves crashing into it. She couldn't tell if the boat represented her future being tossed by an uncontrollable force; or if the sea was simply her stomach and the boat simply her last meal.

How could she marry someone she had never even met before, someone whom she'd only heard stories and rumors about? In fact, she'd spent more time with his _brother_—

No, stop there. She had enough on her plate with thinking about _him._

Amelia had heard quite a bit about Phil, although she had never seen him before. The First Royal Successor made a lasting impression on people. He certainly didn't look much like a prince. His other brother, (oh, alright, _him_. Another unfair thing, how the second prince had popped into her head and refused to leave) the brown-haired, oh-so-handsome one seemed to be the one more suited to the role of royalty. Indeed, the second brother's quiet dignity and peaceful nature she couldn't remember seeing before had caught Amelia's attention. She had spotted him reading quietly in the park and had enjoyed their short, pleasant conversation.

Mostly small talk, mostly just what her mother would have called 'fluff,' but it had been very nice fluff. Amelia couldn't recall the exact words they'd said, but the tone of their meeting had stuck with her.

Ever now, the princess didn't know what had possessed her to just go up to him and introduce herself. Maybe because he had looked so calm, the exact opposite of how she'd felt since hearing about the deal her mother had made with Saillune.

If given a choice, the princess would have rather chosen the slightly younger prince. Amelia might know less about him, (Oh, dear, she was smitten with a man whose name she didn't even know. Like something out of a storybook) but she had no interest in Phil whatsoever. In fact, the dark-haired woman would have done nothing less than applaud if the first born prince had gotten married to the weird woman--regardless of any evil spell or not.

But, Amelia sighed, this situation was hopeless. She certainly couldn't go back to Dils if she just called off the wedding. And not going back to Dils just wasn't an option. Her kingdom needed this alliance in order to gain more land in the Coastal States and increase their trade routes, without them they were finished. Her home that she loved would go into chaos and die out. Impossible to think of, but she'd gone over the economic situation again and again with advisors. They were in a tough spot, no denying that.

Running away never occurred to her. She wasn't a spontaneous person and had never lived on her own without title and privilege. Amelia knew some magic and possessed more common sense than many of her peers, but she was still rather naïve about things. The princess had had some magical training, but not enough to become a professional sorceress like Naga. She had never handled or even touched a sword or real weapon for that matter. If she traveled alone by herself, gods only knew what would've happened to her.

She was a princess and that was all she knew and wanted to know.

Amelia stared hard into her reflection; still not completely connect the falling tears to her. It was someone else's face in the mirror, Amelia was back in Dils, studying customs and spending time in the garden, gossiping with her friends.

No, she most definitely wasn't in Saillune preparing for her wedding (what a horrid word to her now, 'wedding.' But what did it matter, after all, she was safe and comfy in her home where matrimony was the farthest thing from her mind). That wasn't her reflection in the mirror, not her dark hair and pale face, (And whose sad, overcast eyes were those anyway?) just her twin.

More tears splashed onto the vanity.

Maybe, maybe the two kingdoms could arrange some kind of deal. Her mind, feeling overstrained like a tired muscle, grasped out for some kind of idea. Anything would do.

They could…maybe strike up something and trade lands in the Coastal States. Or just sign some kind of agreement. What kind of agreement, Amelia had no idea. Saillune was known for their pacifist view on things and would certainly not start a war over something like a wedding.

So, why didn't she just leave? Just figure out some kind of deal and head right back for her home kingdom? Amelia wiped her face. She knew why.

The princess would have to return to Dils and face the advisors and her mother and see their disappointment. Even if she managed to get some sort of agreement with Saillune, the people in the palace would be upset. What they wanted was a marriage to secure ties with the other kingdom and make sure their kingdom would be protected for generations to come.

If only she hadn't been an only child… Sighing, Amelia readjusted her outfit and looked herself over. The maids and handmaidens had finally left her a little while ago and soon she was going to be late for a meeting with her 'fiancé'. Standing up, Amelia brushed the wrinkles from her expensive dress and headed out toward the hallway.

* * *

Phil fixed the heavy cloak draped over his shoulders. Usually he wore his standard and comfortable white outfit that the rest of his family wore, but due to the fact that the meeting was so important, everyone had insisted on him wearing something fancier. 

All the pomp frustrated the prince and right now all he wanted was to go talk with Naga in a quiet setting. Maybe he could find out more about her past. Heck, he didn't even know her last name yet. Phil had been ushered out of bed this morning so early that he hadn't even had the opportunity to talk to Naga and wasn't sure he if would have the chance all day.

His schedule was back packed. First, meet the princess of Dils. Then, go talk to the wedding planner his advisors had chosen to look over some of his ideas and take a look at things. They'd probably spend a few hours going over just the guest list. After, spend the rest of the day with his father and more advisors and spending the rest of the day reviewing things he had missed during his trip.

Nervously, the bulky prince hoped Naga wouldn't just get tired and run off. His new friend wasn't the patient type and he couldn't imagine her staying in one place for a very long time. It was just another reason to try and escape the stifling palace.

The open road was calling to him. And really, how could he say no to that freedom? He'd heard the term 'wanderlust' before, but had never experienced it truly until now. It wouldn't be too hard to escape to his room for a few minutes to gather his things. Already, the prince had an outfit, complete with mask, which would help conceal his identity. Then just a quick stroll through the palace (Phil knew several shortcuts to get around the major hallways) to Naga's room. It probably wouldn't be very hard to convince her to run away with him. She seemed just as uncomfortable as him.

Then, well, Phil wasn't sure. They could go around the countryside (after high tailing it many, many miles away from the palace) fighting injustices, do good deeds and generally being happy and spending time together. In time, he would write to his father and explain everything. The thought was so tempting he had to fight the urge to jump up and run out of the room.

Would it work? Maybe. He could just leave with Naga and never come back. But would that be fair and just? Saillune might end up suffering in any trade disputes that might arise. His people might end up suffering. And Dils wasn't going so great itself. This marriage might help solve any problems the two kingdoms had.

But wasn't forcing two strangers to get married also unjust and unfair? He didn't know the princess (what was her name again? Gods, he didn't even know her _name_!) , and most certainly didn't want to marry her. She was a complete stranger and his heart didn't belong to her. Automatically, his mind turned to his beautiful and unpredictable sorceress/bodyguard.

He wasn't entirely sure how he felt for her. Sure, he thought about her a lot and loved spending time with her and the sight of her made his heart skip a beat…

But still, they hadn't known each other for that long. Naga was still much of mystery to him. The sorceress still hadn't spoken much of her past, aside from that little not-so-happy tale. It didn't matter too much to him. Even if she had a mysterious and dark past, he would still accept and care for her. But, despite what many thought of him, Phil wasn't entirely naïve.

He wasn't planning on rushing out and just marrying Naga. He didn't even know how she felt for him, although she obviously cared for him. There was no way the gorgeous sorceress would have traveled this long with him if she disliked him (but, hadn't she spent a large chunk of time with that odd fellow from her story? And hadn't they hated each other? Hmmm). Still, the prince wanted to learn more about Naga, spend more time with her and get to know her even more. And what she felt for him.

He wanted to know what went through her head when she looked at him, if she cared for him as much as he did her. If her heart also stop whenever their hands would touch and if she couldn't stop thinking of him.

Well, now his schedule was even fuller than before. During a lull in one of his meetings, Phil would quietly slip away to go to Naga's room so they could talk for awhile. Then, who knew? Everything was still confused and up in the air. He could leave with Naga, or he might end up having to marry that princess. Speaking of which, she was due any moment…

There was a tap at the door.

* * *

Sorry for the lack of update. I've been mostly working on some of my other stories, and my muse suffered. but I do plan on updating more from now on. Expect the new chapter in the near future. 


End file.
